


Teeny Tiny Toony Malec Drabbles

by khaleesiofalicante



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare, The Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare
Genre: F/M, M/M, thanks to my lovely mutuals on tumblr for suggestions, this is just to help me keep writing random stuff about malec
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-15
Updated: 2020-12-08
Packaged: 2020-12-17 01:15:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 13,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21045893
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/khaleesiofalicante/pseuds/khaleesiofalicante
Summary: A collection of malec short stories with fluff, angst and other things.





	1. It’s not about the Shampoo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Based on this prompt: Bath time with Max - Magnus and Alec argue over which shampoo to use on the baby’s blue hair. They can’t come to an agreement, but Max distracts them by splashing water. They end the night with a fun water fight.

_“_Strawberry?” Alec suggested.

“Too basic,” Magnus rolled his eyes.

“Blueberry?” Alec asked.

“Really?” Magnus deadpanned.

“Chocolate?” Alec guessed.

“Do you want him to eat it?” Magnus gasped.

“Coconut?”

“Eh.”

“Peppermint?”

“Hmmm.”

“Okay. How about Sandalwood? We both use Sandalwood!”

Yeah, but Max was special. They had to find the shampoo that fit him perfectly. Magnus wanted to find the one that was just right. Choices are important!

“How about the one with the bird on it?” Alec asked.

“Alexander, that’s not even a famous brand!” Magnus exclaimed.

“Well, I don’t know any more flavors!” Alec replied in a frustrated tone.

“What do you mean?” Magnus inquired incredulously. “There is Apple, Lavender, Sunflower, Tea tree oil, Coconut, Raspberry, Rose, Almond. There are so many to choose from! Too many!! I don’t know what to pick!!!”

“Well, just pick one soon or our son is going to die of hypothermia!” Alec reminded him, pointing at Max – who was preoccupied with his rubber ducks in the baby bath.

“If it is such a simple decision, then why don’t you choose one!” Magnus demanded, crossing his arms.

“Fine. Grapefruit.”

“Alexander, why do you hate our son?”

“Magnus, this is ridiculous!”

“No. You are the ridiculous o-”

They both gasped in unison when a tiny splash of water hit them. Max giggled at the two of them as if he knew they deserved it after their unnecessary theatrics.

“Oh, Max!” Magnus sighed and rubbed the little one’s head. “We are so sorry. We didn’t mean to argue.”

“Yeah. We are sorry, my baby,” Alec whispered softly. “I don’t even know why we are arguing. You have like…four strands of hair on your head.”

“It doesn’t matter, Alec!” Magnus said quietly. “He is our son. We have to choose the perfect flavor. We have to make the right decisions. We can’t fu-. We can’t mess up. I don’t want to mess up.”

He didn’t want to tell Alec how scared he was right now. He has been since they adopted Max. He was scared that he was going to mess this whole thing up and ruin Max’s life.

“Hey, Magnus,” Alec called him softly. “It’s fine. You can’t mess up by picking the wrong flavor. And even if we do, it’s okay. We are new at this, remember?”

Alec wasn’t really new at this. Fatherhood came to him _so_ naturally that everyone started calling him the baby whisperer. Alec had always been a caretaker, a protector and a brother. And Magnus…He hasn’t been anything really.

“What is it?” Alec asked gently. “It’s not about the shampoo, is it?”

No. It wasn’t.

“I am scared, Alexander. You seem to be acting like we have everything under control. You are no scared at all. I just…I just don’t know what I am doing,” Magnus confessed.

His husband enveloped him into a hug and laid his head on Magnus’s shoulder.

“Neither do I, Magnus,” Alec whispered. “But you are right. I am not scared. You want to know why?”

“Because you are a baby whisperer?”

Alec huffed out a laugh and kissed Magnus on the cheek.

“No. Because I am doing this with you. Every time I panic or feel afraid, I look at you. There is no one else I would rather do this with. You have taken care of so many people, Magnus. For centuries. And look how amazing they all turned out to be. So, no. I am not scared at all – Because I am raising my son with Magnus Bane. It can’t get any better than that.”

Magnus smiled against Alec’s face and placed a soft kiss on his lips. “Looks like you are a husband whisperer too.”

His husband laughed at that. “Nah. I just know my Lightwood-Bane boys really well.”

And in that moment, Max giggled and started clapping his hands giddily in the water. Alec let out a surprised gasp and started gently splashing him back. Droplets of water splattered everywhere and ruined Magnus’s new Versace shirt. He had never been happier in his immortal life.


	2. Prettiest of Them All

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Based on this prompt: Alec plays truth or dare with Jace and Simon. They bet he can’t put makeup on Magnus while he’s asleep, but Alec proves them wrong. Magnus wakes up and thinks it’s all a nightmare.

_"_Never have I ever turned into a rodent!”

“Simon, that’s a totally different game! We are playing truth or dare!” Jace giggled, sipping on his seventh margarita.

Or eleventh – Alec wasn’t really sure at this point.

“Oops. Sowy!” Simon giggled back. “Alec, it’s your turn! Truth or dare?”

“Dare!” Alec declared valiantly, the alcohol turning him brave.

Jace and Simon whispered something to each other – Or so they thought. They were actually being really loud.

“Okay. Okay. We dare you to draw a moustache on Magnus’ face while he is sleeping.”

His husband had had a tiring day after meeting endless clients. He only had a few shots before passing out on their living room rug. Alec had settled his husband on the bed and had returned for one more drink before heading to bed himself. 

It has been five drinks since then. It was all Jace’s fault.

“Magnus already has a moustache,” Alec pointed out dreamily. “It’s very sexy.”

His companions started to make kissing noises and Alec couldn’t hold back a giggle.

“Ohhhh. I know!” Simon exclaimed. “How about you put makeup on his face?”

“Magnus has a nice face,” Jace pointed out.

“A very nice face,” Alec clarified.

“I dare you to make it nicer,” Simon challenged.

“Impossible!” Alec replied indignantly. “Can’t get any prettier. He is the prettiest of them all!”

His brother and brother-in-law looked at each other quizzically.

“MAKEUP! MAKEUP! MAKEUP! MAKEUP! MAKEUP! MAKEUP! MAKEUP! MAKEUP! MAKEUP! MAKEUP!”

So that is how the three of them ended up in Alec’s bedroom with Magnus’ makeup box – which was huge by the way.

“Ohhhhh. Izzy has that chapstick too!” Simon cooed, plucking the strawberry chapstick from Alec.

“Hey! I have that one too!” Jace cheered. “What? I don’t like it when my lips get dry.”

“Guys! Shush! My husband is sleeping!”

“Okay!” Jace and Simon whispered in affirmation.

“By the angel!” Alec gasped, softly.

“What is it?” Simon whispered back.

“That’s my husband!” Alec whispered in shock, pointing at Magnus. “I am married to the prettiest man in the world!”

“Yes, you are,” Jace whispered, wiping a tear off his face.

“Okay. Let’s put makeup on my pretty husband!”

And they did. Lipstick. Something that went on top of the eye. And underneath it. The eyebrows. The nose. Some rose stuff on the cheeks. Some green stuff on the ears. Magnus was going to love it.

“He is so pretty,” Simon sobbed softly. 

“OH MY GOD! WE FORGOT GLITTER!” Alec somehow screamed and whispered at the same time. Magnus would hate Alec if he doesn’t use glitter. Magnus loves glitter.

“Is there glitter in the make up box?” Jace whispered going through the box already.

“Are you kidding?” Alec snickered proudly. “He has a separate box for glitter. And guess what? It’s even bigger!!!”

“YASSSSSS!!!!!!!” the boys screamed.

Blue. Green. Yellow. Red. Purple. Gold. Pink. Orange. So many colours. Alec didn’t know what to choose from!

“Maybe we should mix all the colours together! Put some glue! And make a paste! Make a special rainbowy colour for Magnus!” Jace suggested.

“OH MY GOD, JACE!” Alec gasped in delight. “YOU ARE A GENIUS!!!”

And then the mixing began. Once they applied the rainbowy glittery makeup, they all let out a satisfied sigh together.

“Truly a work of art,” Simon commented.

“Magnus or the makeup?” Jace inquired.

“Both,” Alec confirmed. “I love my pretty husband and his pretty makeup.”

They went back to the living room and did a couple of more celebratory shots. Alec didn’t remember doing karaoke or making best brother badges or watching Legally Blonde or passing out on the couch along with Jace and Simon.

All he remembered was waking up to a booming voice that shook up the whole loft.

“ALEXANDER GIDEON LIGHTWOOD! GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE RIGHT NOW!”

“Alec!” Jace whispered even though there was no need to anymore. “I think your pretty husband is pretty mad.”


	3. It's magenta, darling!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Based on this prompt: Magnus ‘accidentally’ throws out all of Alec’s old sweaters, and replaces the dull clothes with colourful ones. Alec becomes furious because he has to wear bright pink, yellow and orange shirts.

_“_Pink? Really? PINK?” Alec complained loudly, as he walked out of their bedroom.

It has been two days since ‘_Sweater Purge 2019_′, when Magnus literally burnt all of Alec’s sweaters because they were too ‘ew’.

“Actually, no. It’s magenta, darling!” Magnus responded calmly, not looking away from the vials of potions in his hand.

“Magnus, no! Just NO!” Alec whined - because he was a really good communicator.

His husband raked up his bare chest appreciatively and gave him a smirk, one that Alec was too pissed off to admire.

Okay fine, he admired it a little bit. It was sexy and cute at the same time! How could he not?

“You are welcome to go to the institute in your current state,” Magnus pointed out. “But I am not sure if your Shadowhunter buddies will be thrilled.”

An idea struck him that moment. Two can play at this game.

“You know what?” Alec asked, throwing away the pink – sorry, magenta – sweater on the couch. “Maybe I WILL go to the institute shirtless. I am sure at least some of my Shadowhunter ‘buddies’ will be thrilled.”

This did make Magnus look up from his potion. Gotcha!

“Well, if that is what you want,” Magnus just shrugged, returning to his potion making.

No! This is not how it was supposed to go! 

How come Magnus gets to manipulate him with his sexy smirks and coy smiles? How is a man supposed to compete with that?

Well, he is not gonna give up. Not today!

“Alright then. I am going,” Alec announced, unnecessarily loud and with some flair to his tone. “All shirtless. I might even be a little sweaty by the time I get there. In the subway. Where everyone will get to see me. Shirtless.”

“I guess it’s a lucky Monday morning for the good citizens of New York,” Magnus chuckled.

Oh for fuck’s sake!

“I am seriously going, Magnus. See, one step out of the door. And two!”

Magnus kept the potion vial on his work table carefully and walked over to his husband. Yes, a win for Alec Lightwood!

“Have a good day at work, darling!” Magnus chirped, kissing his cheek lightly.

He closed the door and left Alec standing confused – and shirtless - on their corridor.

Okay. Options! He needed to go through his options.

1\. Go to the institute wearing pink/magenta shirt and get bullied by Jace for life.

2.Go to institute wearing no shirt at all and get bullied by Jace for life.

Alec didn’t know which was worse to be honest. He was about to open the door and demand Magnus to magic him a plain sweater, one of his own ones – all of which Magnus ‘accidently’ set on fire while Alec was out on patrol.

“Alexander!” Magnus exclaimed as he opened the door.

Oh, thank the angel.

“You forgot your bow!” Magnus reminded him sweetly. “Here you go.”

His husband hung the bow on his bare shoulder and handed him the quiver full of arrows.

“Hmmm. You look sexy,” Magnus hummed appreciatively and winked at him. “It’s going to be one hot ride from Brooklyn.”

Alec pouted at the other man and looked at him beseechingly. Something shifted on Magnus’ face but he nevertheless closed the door after blowing him a kiss.

So, guess he was going to the institute shirtless today. He was walking down the stairs unnecessarily slowly, wondering what story to tell his fellow Shadowhunters. 

Maybe he could say that he was mugged? That a mugger took his sweater? He owns nice, comfortable sweaters. Obviously, a mugger would want that.

Right???

He was concocting a lie when a sudden rush of warmth, comfort and familiarity enveloped him. He noticed he was wearing one of his sweaters again! One of his favorites actually – the black own, with frayed edges around the collar. 

Okay, so maybe all his sweaters looked the same but Alec knew the difference. This was the one he was wearing when he officially moved in with Magnus.

There was a note pinned to the sweater on a yellow sticky note.

“_**Only because of your sad pout and puppy dog eyes. How is a man supposed to compete with that? I love you. Also, you are wearing the pink one tomorrow!**_”

Alec smiled at the note, a smile that was only reserved for his husband, and pocketed the precious piece of paper. He took out his phone and sent a quick text to Magnus as he walked down the stairs – two at a time.

_“**Thank you. I love you too.**”_

_“**Oh. And it’s magenta.**”_


	4. We Have Each Other

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Based on this prompt: They’re out on patrol, and Alec unexpectedly steps in front of Magnus to shield him from a blow. They argue while travelling back to the Institute because it isn’t the first time Alec has done this. Once he’s healed, they spend the rest of the night cosying against a fireplace

The silence was killing him. There was so much he wanted to say but he couldn’t find the words. He had hoped that maybe his boyfriend would start the conversation, but Alec hadn’t uttered the word since they had started walking back to the institute.

Magnus knew he had to start the conversation. This wasn’t the first time Alec had done this. He wanted to have this conversation with Alec for a long time now, but the other man kept dodging and distracting him at every turn.

But not anymore – tonight had been the last straw. He cannot have Alec acting recklessly like that ever again. He cannot bear to see Alec hurt again.

This whole time, he had been looking for an easy way to say it. But now, tonight, he realized the truth. There was no easy way around this.

“You have to stop doing this,” Magnus finally said, breaking the silence.

“Doing what?” Alec echoed back, his feet picking up the pace.

“Alec, stop!” Magnus screamed, pulling him by the arm and stopping the other man in his tracks.

There was no easy way around this.

“You have to stop protecting me. You have to stop getting hurt on my account. You have to-”

Alec removed his arm from Magnus’ grip. “Magnus, it was not a big deal. I was just closer than the others and you-”

“STOP IT! STOP PRETENDING LIKE THIS WAS A ONE TIME THING!”

The expression on the other’s man face completely changed then. His eyebrows narrowed, jaw tightened and breath became shallower.

“You think I haven’t noticed? How you always walk in front of me – like some sort of shield? How Jace and Izzy keep an eye out for me – following me like shadows? You have to stop do-”

“Magnus, I am just looking out for you,” Alec interrupted, “Just taking some extra precautions in case-”

“YOU HAVE TO STOP!!!”

They stood like that for a minute – or longer, he didn’t really know – staring at each other.

“Magnus,” Alec breathed out his name, in a tired sigh. “I am Shadowhunter. This is what I do. I protect people. It’s in my name for god’s sake!”

Magnus remembered how his world stopped existing when Alec dropped to the ground. He remembered Alec lying on the wet ground, clutching at his stomach – his dark sweater getting darker with the blood pouring out of him. He remembered how his heart hammered in his chest, while Jace drew an iratze on his parabatai.

There was no easy way around this.

“I know, my love,” Magnus whispered softly. “But I have lived for centuries. I have seen things. I have lived many lives – more than I probably deserve. But you…You only have this one, Alexander. So, you have to choose yourself. You have to stop sacrificing yourself to save mine.”

Alec looked at him incredulously as if Magnus was talking to him in Indonesian.

“Promise me you will save yourself. Promise me you will choose yourself. Promise me, Alexander.”

Realization dawned on the other man’s face when he finally understood that Magnus was serious. He grasped the need behind Magnus’ words and physically recoiled back.

“No!” Alec gasped out. “I can’t. Magnus, you can’t ask me to do that. I am sorry. I can’t promise you that.”

He turned around and started walking faster towards their friends, leaving Magnus behind.

And that was what Magnus worried about the most – That one day Alec would leave him behind.

Magnus followed them slowly at his own pace, trying to pull his thoughts together. He had to convince Alec to stop acting like a stubborn child. He had to understand that Magnus’ life wasn’t worth all that trouble and sacrifice. He must make him realize that immediately – before that self-sacrificing idiot jumps in front of another demon in order to protect him.

He made his way to the institute to find Alec in his room, sitting on the floor next to the fireplace. Magnus had built that for his boyfriend when he found that how depressingly the cold the rooms in the institute can get at night. He had created it so that Alec could feel warm and comfortable, even during the coldest of nights. There was nothing warm about the Shadowhunter’s face tonight.

Magnus sat down next to him and silently pulled the other man against him. They both just laid there like that in front of the fire – quietly watching the flames dance.

“Just…Just hear me out,” Magnus started and he felt Alec stiffen against him.

“I love my life. I have lived for centuries and I wouldn’t mind living longer. Of course, there have been bad days or decades rather. But I am still grateful for every single day. If you had asked me if I wanted to die a century ago or even a decade ago, I would have said no in a heartbeat. But now…I can’t say that. My life is no longer just about me, Alexander.”

The treacherous tears escaped his eyes and landed on Alec’s bare shoulder. The boy tightened his grip on Magnus’ arms, urging him to go on.

“I cannot…And I mean this more than anything else, I cannot live with myself if something were to happen to you because of me. I simply cannot. So, you must stop. I know you are trying to protect me. But you are not. If you hurt yourself trying to protect me….Alec, that pain is so much worse than dying. I don’t think I am strong enough to survive it. So, please. I am begging you. Please stop.”

And then it was quiet once more. Just their ragged breaths and the crackling of the fire. Until Alec said something Magnus never thought he would hear in his lifetime.

“It is your fault,” Alec confessed. “If you think I am being reckless or stupid – It’s your fault, Magnus.”

He shifted his position and turned around to look at Magnus in the eyes. Magnus realized the Shadowhunter had been crying too, his tear stained cheek and moist eyes betraying him.

“I wouldn’t have cared before. I wouldn’t have cared enough to save you or protect you or fight for you. I wouldn’t have cared enough to die for anyone other than my family. But YOU were the one who taught me that I should fight for what I love. YOU taught me that. And there is nothing in this world that I love more than you. So, no. I will never stop fighting for you or protecting you. Never.”

“Alexander, but you are young and-”

“Yes, I am,” Alec intervened, gripping Magnus’s face with both hands like he was holding onto a lifeline. “Yes, I have a lot to see and do. You were right before. You have lived many lives and I have just this one. But that one life means nothing, it means absolutely nothing to me, if I have to live it without you.”

Magnus pulled him into a tight embrace and gripped the other man hard, his fingernails digging into his back, never wanting to let go.

“Then what do we do? Magnus whispered into the other man’s hair softly. “How do we deal with this?”

“I don’t know. I honestly don’t.” Alec pulled back and kissed him on the forehead. “All I know is that we protect each other – like we always do. We fight for each other. We fight for us. We fight for our future.”

It wasn’t going to be easy – none of the best things in life are. It was going to the most difficult one in his lifetime. But in that moment, Magnus realized that he was ready to fight. They might not have all the answers, but they had each other. And for now, that seemed more than enough.


	5. Love & Caramel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Based on this prompt by madame-president2032: Madzie or Cat refer to Alec as Madzie's uncle for the first time. In the past, Alec was used to Magnus being referred to as an uncle or godfather to Madzie, but not him. So, when he is first given this title he might be a little emotional because that means Magnus' family is now accepting Alec too.

The purple magic surrounded Alec like the breeze during summer. It felt different than Magnus’ magic – more innocent but still quite powerful.

“There,” the girl smiled at him. “Now you look prettier.”

Alec glanced at his reflection on the window and smiled to himself. The flower crown was made of roses and daisies, a combination which for some reason reminded him of Magnus and himself.

“Yes, I do,” Alec smiled back. “I am now the second prettiest man in the room.”

“Second?” the warlock girl asked, her eyebrows raised in confusion.

“My husband will always be the prettiest man in the room,” he explained.

Madzie giggled at that. “He is not even here.”

“Well, he is in _some_ room,” Alec shrugged, not bothering with the minor technicality.

The girl giggled again and covered her mouth. “You are crazy.”

“Crazy about my husband,” Alec winked and they both dissolved into giggles again.

It was a lazy Sunday afternoon and Alec was on babysitting duty with his husband while Catarina…Well, they just thought she should get the day off. She definitely deserved some rest after working tirelessly as a warlock _and_ a nurse. Looking after Madzie had never felt like a chore, so Alec was more than happy to hang out with her any time.

Of course, there was also the fact he wanted to spend more and more time around children these days. Maybe it was too early to be thinking about this.

“What are you two giggling about?” Catarina questioned, walking out of her room as she put on a pair of silver earrings.

“Oh, I am just telling Madzie about my beautiful husband and how amazing he is,” Alec informed her as he carried Madzie back to the couch.

Catarina snorted in response. “You are preaching to the choir, Alec. Madzie is Magnus’ number one fan.”

“Number two,” Madzie corrected and pointed at Alec when Catarina frowned. The three of them giggled together and Alec hoped Magnus would join them soon.

His phone pinged in the exact moment, as if by magic – maybe it was. One can never say for sure with Magnus.

_ **Warlock emergency. Running slightly late. ETA 20 minutes. Miss me!** _

Alec tried not to feel disappointed with the delay. It was only 20 minutes for crying out loud.

“What’s wrong?” Catarina inquired, her voice suddenly worried.

“Oh, nothing,” Alec gave her quick reassuring smile. “Magnus is getting a little late. Some warlock emergency.”

“Then I can stay until he gets here,” Catarina said, already moving towards the couch.

“No. No. No,” he stopped her. “It’s fine. You should go!”

“Are you sure?” Catarina asked skeptically.

“Don’t worry, mama,” Madzie ran to her mother. “I’ll take care of uncle Alec.”

Everything froze for a minute and his mind focused on those two words.

Uncle Alec.

He wasn't the Uncle - that was Magnus! He had always been...just Alec. 

He had never thought that he would get to hear that from a warlock child. He had never thought he would be an uncle to anyone but the children of his own siblings. In fact, he had never thought any part of his current reality to be a possibility for him.

And yet here he was.

Everything he thought he could never have was right in front of him – and all because of one man.

Madzie came running back to the couch and looked at him with a dark, large, inquisitive eyes.

“Are you okay?”

“Uh, yes. Of course. I am fine.”

“You look like you are going to cry,” Madzie pointed out worriedly.

“I just thought about watching Finding Nemo with you tonight and I am already emotional.”

Madzie smiled and waved her hand with a dramatic flick – something she had obviously learned from a certain someone. Finding Nemo started playing on the TV and they both settled down on the couch comfortably.

“You can hug uncle Magnus when he gets here,” Madzie told him when the opening credits started. “You always look happy when you are next to him.”

Children are scarily perceptive, Alec thought in that moment. Maybe they needed some of this extra perceptiveness in their own home. Couldn’t hurt, could it?

“I am,” Alec agreed with her. “Shall we watch the movie or wait for the world’s best uncle?”

Madzie waved her hand again and a bowl of caramel popcorn appeared before them. They have done this enough times for her to know that Alec definitely preferred caramel over cheese.

She picked up the popcorn bowl and started munching on it immediately. “Since the world’s best uncle is already here, I think we can start.”

Alec couldn’t help but let out a tiny gasp at that. Did Madzie honestly think _he_ was the best uncle in the world?

“You just say that because I let you put makeup on me,” Alec laughed, still in disbelief.

“No. I say it because you _are_ the best,” Madzie explained.

“How come?” Alec asked, still not convinced.

“How come uncle Magnus is the best husband in the world?” Madzie quizzed.

“Because he is the best husband!” Alec shrugged, as if it was all the explanation that was necessary.

“Exactly. I say you are the best uncle,” Madzie shrugged, imitating him. “Because you are the best!”

He thought about when Max had asked Magnus if he could call him brother - at their wedding reception. Alec had thought he was his happiest when he made his vows to Magnus. But it was actually when he at the party, surrounded by his husband and his family – all of them together.

Apparently Magnus had felt the same since his husband had confessed that he had never expected to gush over his amazing in-laws one day. The way in which his husband spoke of his mother or his siblings showed that Magnus obviously cared about them quite deeply. It was clear that he loved being accepted by Alec’s family.

Alec hadn’t realized how important that feeling was until right about now.

Alec had never even considered the possibility of being in-law for Magnus’ friends and family. He was a brother to Catarina and Raphael. He was an uncle to Madzie. He was someone important to everyone person that Magnus was related to.

He suddenly felt overwhelmed by all the love that surrounded him. He loved the fact that his family grew bigger every day. He was no longer just Magnus' husband. He was catarina's brother in law. He was Madzie's uncle. He was a part of Magnus' family as much as the warlock was a part of his.

The realization created a warm feeling in his chest – as if the validation of Magnus’ family somehow solidified their relationship even further. It felt good to be accepted. It felt good to be part of a family this big.

And by the angel did it feel good to be uncle Alec.

“Now stop fighting me over this or I will give the title to uncle Lorenzo.”

Alec gasped loudly in mock offense. “You would never”

“Yeah, I wouldn’t,” Madzie snickered. “He is the worst.”

The apartment filled with giggles again and the air smelled of love, acceptance, validation – and caramel.


	6. The Proposal Dilemma

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to write me some malec ;)

Magnus walked towards his boyfriend and gently sat on the edge of the table. Alec looked up from his book and smiled - pleased and surprised to find Magnus in front of him.

Despite being together for seven years and living together for five, Alec was always pleased to see Magnus. Magnus didn’t know why his boyfriend was amazed every single time. Magnus never wanted to be anywhere else than by Alec's side.

“I know you said no gifts,” Magnus said a little nervously. “But I got you something.”

Alec's lips curved a little. “I know I said I didn’t want anything but after putting up with Jace this whole week, I could really do with some pampering. I hope it’s the spa vacation you got Izzy last year. She still hasn’t stopped raving about it.”

Magnus’ hand clutched the box in his pant pocket tightly. “Uh, it’s not...It’s not a spa vacation.”

“Magnus, whatever it is, I’ll love it,” Alec promised. 

Magnus gave him a small nod, took a deep breath, went down on his knee and took out the ring box. 

“Alexander Lightwood, when I met you at my birthday party seven years ago, I didn’t think that I would meet the lov-”

“Magnus, no,” Alec gasped and stood up immediately and covered his mouth in shock. His book dropped to the floor and so did Magnus’ stomach. 

“Alec, I-”

“No no no no no no no no,” Alec rambled, his hand raking through his hair in frustration. 

“Jesus, you could have just said it once,” Magnus muttered as he sank into the floor and put the ring away. 

Alec immediately dropped down next to him. “Magnus, no. I mean...FUCK!”

Magnus kept his eyes focused on the floor, his face burning in humiliation and heart burning in pain. He had thought they were on the same page but apparently he had been horribly wrong.

“Just...Just wait here. Gimme a sec,” Alec got up hastily. “Just wait here. Don’t go anywhere.”

As Alec ran off into his study, Magnus wondered where else he could possibly go. He didn’t know where to go - now that Alec didn’t want him.

Alec came back a moment later, looking slightly more composed than before. He offered his hand to Magnus and gently lifted him off the floor until Magnus found his way to the couch. 

“Magnus, you can’t do this,” Alec said earnestly. 

“Yeah, I got that,” Magnus mumbled. 

“No, you don’t get it,” Alec shook his head seriously and took out a box from his pocket.

A tiny gasp escaped Magnus’ lips and his heart found its place again - next to Alec’s. 

“I bought this the day I met you,” Alec said. “The _day_ I met you, Magnus! I went midnight ring shopping with Jace right after your birthday party. I bought this ring and I told him that I will marry you one day.”

“Alexander, I-”

“So, no. You don’t get to do this,” Alec said firmly. “I have been carrying this ring around for seven years. This proposal is mine.”

A small chuckle escaped him - like a breath of relief. He tried to get on his knee again, opposite Alec. “Maybe we could both prop-”

“No,” Alec said even more seriously. “It’s mine. You can’t take this away from me.”

“But I was proposing!” Magnus protested.

“No, I am proposing!” Alec shook his head.

“I want to do it!”

“I want to do it too!”

“Alexander, you are being unreasonable,” Magnus pouted. 

“Magnus, please,” Alec begged. “I have been holding onto this for so long. I’ve thought about this moment every day since we met. I’ve rewritten my speech at least a thousand times. Please let me have this. I want to go down on my knee and look at you in the eye and tell you everything I’ve wanted to say for the last seven years.”

Magnus’ heart softened.

He wanted to give Alec the world. So what was one proposal, right?

“Fine,” Magnus said finally. “I suppose I’ll go down on my knees later tonight.”

Alec grinned then, his face turning brighter than the sun that was setting by the balcony. Magnus remembered seeing the exact same expression on Alec’s face the first time he had met him. Magnus remembered falling in love with him on the spot. Magnus wondered, if it wasn’t for the alcohol - and Catarina, whether he would have gone looking for rings that night too.

“Are you sure?” Alec asked.

“Yes, Alec Lightwood,” Magnus said and laid back against the couch. “This year my birthday gift to you would be letting you propose to me.”

“A proposal,” Alec smiled and got down on one knee again. “That is so much better than a spa vacation.”

“I mean...” Magnus drawled and gave Alec a mischievous grin. “I am just letting you propose. Who knows if I’ll say yes?”

“Wait, what?” Alec spluttered. 

“Maybe that could be the gift for your next birthday,” Magnus winked. 

"But that's...that's a whole year away," Alec pouted.

"Yes, darling. That's how birthdays work," Magnus replied cheekily. 

“Are you telling me I get to propose to you now but I have to wait for an entire year for the answer?” Alec raised an eyebrow. 

“Why?” Magnus raised his. “Am I not worth it?”

Alec got up again and smiled fondly before kissing Magnus on the lips. “You are worth a lifetime,”

Magnus chuckled and got comfortable in the couch. Who knew getting proposed to would be so much more fun than proposing?

“Alright, Lightwood,” Magnus ordered, enjoying it maybe a little too much. “Get on with it. Let’s hear your speech.”

A slow grin spread on Alec’s face - not the one he fell in love with, but the one that had kept Magnus next to Alec every day after the first one.

“You know what? You make this whole getting proposed to thing look way too good,” Alec said, getting off the floor again. “Maybe you should propose to me.”

“Nuh-uh,” Magnus said. “You are the one who wanted to propose first.”

"Well...technically you started it," Alec pointed out.

"But I want a proposal!" Magnus said.

“Yeah, but it’s my birthday,” Alec shrugged. 

“I am not proposing!” Magnus argued.

“Well, I am not proposing either!” Alec grinned.

“You do it!”

“You do it!”

“But you waited for seven years!” Magnus said frantically. “Alexander, it’s yours! Take it!”

Alec flopped back down on the couch next to him and shook his head. “No, I think I am in the mood for a proposal tonight.”

“But the speech!!!” Magnus argued. 

“I’ll save it for my next marriage,” Alec winked. 

Magnus gasped. “I am so divorcing you if and when we get married.”

“If and when?” Alec giggled.

“Who knows?” Magnus said as he rested his head on Alec’s shoulder. “We might be stuck in this ridiculous situation forever.”

“I like being stuck in ridiculous situations with you,” Alec said, his voice suddenly soft.

“This is exactly why you should propose!” Magnus sighed. “I want to hear your unbelievably cheesy speech!”

"Alright, alright,” Alec chuckled and got off the couch once more.

“Yay!” Magnus clapped his hands in glee as Alec picked up the ring from the table.

Alec looked at the ring and then looked at him. He gave a ridiculous grin before walking back to his study. “I’ll do it next year.”

“ALEXANDER GIDEON LIGHTWOOD!!!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: December is the most popular month for proposals.


	7. Alexander [Redacted] Lightwood

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was emotionally manipulated into writing this ;)

“Is it Godfrey?” Magnus asked. “Sounds a bit ancient, doesn't it?”

Alec poured the coffee into his mug and shook his head quietly. 

“How about Gavin?” Magnus asked again.

“Gavin sounds like a stockbroker who cheats on his wife,” Alec pointed out.

“Weirdly specific,” Magnus chuckled. “Giuseppe?”

“I am not Italian, Magnus!!” Alec pointed out exasperatedly as he flopped down next to his boyfriend on the couch. 

“That's true. You are too pale to pull off the Mediterranean aesthetic,” Magnus kissed him on the temple. “George? Gaston? Gustaf? Garibaldi?”

Alec couldn't help but giggle. “Do people really name their children Garibaldi?”

“Come on,” Alexander!” Magnus brought out the pout. “Tell me what it is!!”

“Nope,” Alec kissed him on the nose this time. “Suffer in silence.”

Magnus let out an exasperated breath. 

Ever since Isabelle had accidentally slipped that Alec has a middle name, Magnus had been hell bent on finding it out. 

“I just don't like knowing things,” Magnus had pointed out. “And it’s so weird not to know your boyfriend’s middle name!!”

“That's true,” Jace had interrupted unnecessarily as always. “Clary’s middle name is Adele. It’s beautiful. Everything about her is so beautiful.”

Magnus had gestured widely at Jace, as if he had a seizure. “I cannot believe we are losing to Jace and Clary.”

“Babe, it’s not a competition,” Alec had chuckled. 

“That’s loser talk,” Jace had snickered and Alec had kicked him in the shin. 

“OUCH!!!” Jace had said a little too dramatically. “Magnus, why don't you just steal his driving license or go to his high school or bribe Maryse? They are all easy options.”

“No,” Magnus had said seriously. “No cheating. I want Alec to say it from his own mouth.”

“That’s not gonna happen,” Alec had poked out his tongue.

“Fine,” Magnus had said that day. “Then I will guess it myself.”

Alec remembered laughing at his boyfriend’s antics but had been briefly concerned when he had woken up to Magnus sitting next to him on the bed with a phone book in his hands. 

“Where did you even get that?” Alec had laughed. “Do they even print these things anymore?”

“I went to the library first thing in the morning,” Magnus had explained hastily. “Alright. Chop chop. Time to face your destiny...Gus?.”

“Not even close,” Alec had giggled and gone back to sleep. 

It had almost been a week since then and Magnus had not stopped. His siblings told him that Magnus would eventually give up but Alec knew his boyfriend better. 

“Alec, I know you don't want me to tell me your middle name,” Magnus said quietly one day.

The tone had scared him a little. Maybe Magnus didn't like the fact that Alec kept things from him. Maybe this little game had gone too far. Maybe Magnus had given up like his siblings had predicted. Maybe Magnus had given up on him in more ways than one. 

“You don't want to tell me because you are ashamed,” Magnus said quietly. “Because it’s Gertrude.”

“I-” Alec spluttered. “What now?”

“Your parents were probably drunk and they named you Gertrude,” Magnus said more cheerfully this time. “Admit it. You are ashamed.”

Alec chastised his brain for getting unnecessarily angsty and walked over to Magnus. 

“It’s not Gertrude,” he had told his boyfriend. “But I can change it to that if you want.”

Magnus had yelled in exasperation and gone into the balcony for “further brainstorming.”

He wasn't going to give up any time soon, was he?

“Gabriel, darling,” Magnus said as he kissed Alec that night and Alec almost choked. 

“Who the fuck is Gabriel?” Alec demanded. 

“It isn't you?” Magnus asked innocently, getting off Alec’s lap. “Are you a Gordon, then?”

“Do I look like a Gordon” Alec looked at himself worriedly. 

“Is it Geralt?” Magnus asked. “You like a Geralt.”

“Babe, that’s the blonde buffy guy you like from that TV show,” Alec pointed out with a giggle. 

“For a minute I thought you were talking about Jace,” Magnus giggled back. 

“Jace isn't that buffy,” Alec mumbled and pulled Magnus back into his lap.

It went on like this for another week or so. Magnus being relentless - and Alec enjoying the whole thing a little too much. Their friends had even started a bet to see if Magnus would guess it before Christmas. 

But then it stopped. Magnus hadn't guessed any names the entire day and Alec had oddly missed it. He came home from work that day to find Magnus sitting on the couch, twirling something in this hands. 

“Alec, I need to ask you something,” he said seriously. 

“No, my name isn't Gibson,” Alec had teased as he locked the door behind him.

He turned around and his briefcase dropped to the ground and his hand flew to his mouth in shock. 

Magnus was on the floor.

On his knees. 

Holding a ring. 

“Alec, I need to ask you something,” he said again - softly this time. 

“I will ask the wedding invitation printers not to use my middle name,” Alec blabbered. 

“I don't care,” Magnus had smiled. “You can print your name as Gertrude on the wedding invitations and I still wouldn't care.”

Alec raised a brow. “So you are not proposing just so you can find out my middle name?”

He had to ask. It was exactly the kind of ridiculous nonsense his Magnus was known for.

“No,” Magnus replied calmly. “I am proposing because I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

Alec’s heart softened and knees buckled at that. He slid down to the floor in front of Magnus and laid a soft kiss on his lips. 

“Alright then,” he grinned. “Proceed.”

“Alexander,” Magnus breathed out his name like a prayer. “I don't want your middle name. I only want your heart. The middle part, the top part, the corners - every single of bit of it. For I will cherish it and protect it for as long I shall live. So, will you do me the honour? Will you marry me, Alexander...”

Magnus waited hopefully - his eyes shining. 

“Gideon,” Alec chuckled and shook his head. “It’s Gideon.”

Magnus’ grinned at that. “Gideon.”

“It’s a little underwhelming, I admit,” Alec pointed out sheepishly and wondered if he should change it to something more exotic like..Geralt or even Garibaldi. 

Magnus leaned froward and pressed their foreheads together. 

“There is nothing underwhelming about you, Alexander Gideon Lightwood.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: Middle names are a somewhat recent tradition in Western civilization. Only three of the first 17 U.S. presidents had one.


	8. Being a Lightwood Ain't Easy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Being a shadowhunter is hard. Being a Lightwood is hard. A small chat between Rafael and Alec before Rafe's rune ceremony.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy reading :)

“You ready?” Alec knocked on the door. 

He sounded calm - but only because he tried his best not to sound as excited as felt. He had been waiting for this day for quite a long time and he couldn’t believe it was all happening. 

There was no response from the other side so Alec knocked again. No response. Maybe he had overslept. Alec did notice that the light in the room hadn't gone out till early morning. 

“Alright, I am coming in,” Alec said and gently pushed the door open. 

He saw the boy sitting on the bed, still in his purple pyjamas, hugging his knees to his chest. He kept his eyes to the floor and avoided Alec’s worried gaze. Alec didn't know what was wrong but he wished Magnus was here - he would know how to deal with this. 

His way of dealing with it would of course to make an ill timed joke. Maybe Alec should try that. 

“I know your bapa taught you that being fashionably late is cool,” Alec said with a grin. “But you can't be late to your own rune ceremony, buddy.”

Rafe looked up with an incredulous look on his face, he seemed a little exasperated. Alright maybe Alec wasn't the funny dad. So he tried to use his own tactics. 

He knelt down in front his son and scanned Rafe’s face. “I know it is a little scary to get your first rune, but it doesn't hurt as much as you think, I promise. You are a shadowhunter. You will get used to it.”

Rafe looked away. 

“What if I didn't want to be a shadowhunter?”

Something in Alec’s heart stopped or broke or burst into a million pieces. He wasn't sure and it didn't matter. He wasn't concerned by the heart inside his body. He was concerned about the heart which was sitting right in front of him. 

“Rafael,” Alec said softly. “What's wrong, mijo?”

The boy took a deep breath and looked up at him. “I am not just any shadowhunter, am I?”

Alec cocked his head in confusion.

“I am not just any shadowhunter,” Rafael repeated. “I am a Lightwood.”

Alec couldn’t help but smile a little at that and put his hand on Rafael’s shoulder. “Yes. Yes, you are.”

Rafael pushed it away. “But I am not, aren't?”

“What do you mean?” Alec asked, genuinely confused. 

“I am both a Lightwood and I am not,” Rafael explained frustratedly.

“Rafe, wha-”

“I am the son of the Consul, a hero of the Dark War and the founder of the Shadowhunter Downworlder Alliance,” Rafael said as if he was reciting a practiced speech.

Alec would have blushed in any other situation but right now he was only worried. “Did I do something wrong?”

“No,” Rafe shook his head. “You did everything right and I...I am just worried that _I_ won't.”

“Rafael,” Alec sighed. “You are not me. You don't have to do what I did or do.”

“But it isn't just about you,” Rafael bit his lip. “It’s all of you. Every single one. Aunt Izzy is one of the best fighters in the world. Abuelo was the freaking inquisitor and Uncle Jace...Well, he is Uncle Jace.”

Alec didn't know what to do. In this head, he heard Magnus’s voice when he spoke to Max when their blueberry got too stressed during their magic lessons. 

_“Smell the flowers and blow the candles,” Magnus would tell their son. _

Alec took a deep breath in and let it out slowly. 

“Do you want me to tell you that you are going to be great just like all of us?” Alec asked, even though he knew the answer.

“No, I don't want you do that,” Rafael said stubbornly. “Because I know I won't be.”

“Why do you think so?”

“Because I am not a Lightwood, dad,” Rafael almost shouted. “Not really. I am just..I am just a boy you found in the street. So whatever genes that make you the rest of you amazing and awesome and cool and perfect - it’s not gonna work for me.”

Alec stared at his son then. Rafael's body was hunched as if he was protecting himself from everything the world was going through at him after today. 

It wasn't easy being a shadowhunter - and it definitely wasn't easy being a Lightwood.

Rafael looked at him in the eye then, his lips wobbling a little. “I am scared I won't be good enough.”

He looked at those tiny little shoulders and realized the amount of pressure that sat on them. Alec had once been worried about not being able to fill the shoes of his ancestors - of not being able to bring his parents glory. He had been terrified of not being good enough to bear his family name. 

Now his son was feeling the very same. Alec wondered whether all shadowhunters felt this way at one point or another. 

“Listen,” Alec said. “Izzy is the best at what she does because she trains every single day. Yes, my dad was the inquisitor but he wasn't perfect. Uncle Jace is Uncle Jace not because he was born to be that person but because he choose to be. And I...I might be the Consul but I was a scared little boy for a long time too.”

Rafael still looked unconvinced and frustrated and stubborn. 

“I am not going to say your last name doesn't matter. It does and it always will. We are treated differently than others because of our last name. We have been given chances and opportunities because of our last name.”

“Your tutor,” Raphael said weakly. “He was punished worse...”

Magnus and Alec had decided long ago that it was imperative for their children to know their history - all of it and from all sides.

“He got the worst of it and my parents didn't - because they are Lightwoods,” Alec admitted. 

Alec looked at his son and spoke in a tone that Magnus often called his ‘Consul voice’. 

“It is an honour to be a Lightwood. Our name has power and privilege,” Alec told his son. “But it is also a responsibility.”

Rafael nodded meekly. “I am responsible to uphold our family name?” his son asked in a quiet tone. 

“No,” Alec said. “You are responsible to use this power and privilege to help those who don't have it.”

Rafael looked up then. 

“You are not wrong to be afraid, Rafe. You are a smart kid and you are right. People will see you differently and hold you accountable to higher standards. I know it's not fair. Sometimes it can be difficult. People will always expect you to be a certain way because of your last name or your gender or your race or so many other things...But you need to be true to yourself. That’s what it means to be a Lightwood.”

Rafael finally let go of his legs and sat up straight, listening intently now. 

“To be a Lightwood is to follow what is right, defend what is good and protect what is innocent,” Alec said firmly. “But most importantly, to be a Lightwood is to fight for yourself.”

“Like you did?” Rafe asked, his lips curving, just a little. 

“And like so many others before,” Alec smiled. “Some day soon, your bapa will tell you about other Lightwoods who fought for themselves - Christopher and Anna and Thomas and so many others.”

Rafael actually smiled then - he always liked listening to his bapa’s stories. 

“If you don't want to be a shadowhunter, then we will not force you,” Alec said seriously now. “All we want is for you to be happy. To be yourself.”

“I do want to be a shadowhunter,” Rafael confessed in a whisper. “I am just...scared. I am scared that I won't be good enough. I am scared that people will think I am not good enough.”

“I was too, mijo,” Alec said softly, rubbing his son’s cheek. “I sometimes still feel like I am not good enough. When you feel that way, just give your best shot and remember that it is more than enough. It doesn't matter what other people think or say. That’s one more Lightwood trait for you. We don't let other people tell us who we are. We decide it for ourselves.”

“But I do care about what _you_ think," Rafael said in a small voice. "Do you think I'm gonna be a good shadowhunter?”

“100%," Alec said without hesitation. 

“How do you know?” Rafe asked skeptically. 

“Because you are not even a shadowhunter yet and you are already trying to figure out how to be a good one,” Alec laughed. “A good fighter is always prepared. You are going to be just fine.”

“Because my last name is Lightwood?” Rafael teased. 

“Because your last name is Lightwood-Bane,” Alec grinned. “Now I know there aren't many Banes and I myself know only one. But he is the best man I know.”

“He is the best I man I know too,” Rafe grinned. “No offense.”

“None taken,” Alec grinned back. 

“Okay then,” Rafael hopped off the bed and walked towards his closet - which was larger than Alec’s own. “Let’s get dressed for my big day.”

“I am afraid my amazing, awesome, cool and perfect Lightwood genes are not going to be very helpful here,” Alec chuckled. “I'll send Magnus.”

Rafael giggled and nodded as he excitedly went through his closet. Alec looked at his son and walked back to the closet and knelt down again. 

“I just want you to remember one thing,” Alec stared into his son’s eyes. “You were never just a boy found in the street. I knew you were mine the moment I saw you. I knew you were my baby even then.”

“I know, dad,” Rafael replied shyly. 

“No matter what anyone says, you are a Lightwood and you will always be my son.”

Rafael put his arms around his neck and hugged Alec tightly. “I know. I love you.”

“I love you too,” Alec kissed the top of his head and walked back to the door. “Now hurry up and get dressed. Your Consul commands it.”

“Boludo,” he heard his son chuckle and Alec couldn't help but chuckle himself. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: In the United States, Australia, Great Britain, and many other English-speaking countries, the most popular last name is Smith.


	9. Grumpy, Chilli and Batman

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little drabble about Robert Lightwood and Rafael Lightwood-Bane :)

“But Batman is the best!!” Max said seriously. “He can fly!!”

“Of course he is, my little M&M!” Robert agreed with his grandson. “He is so...cool!”

“Yay!” the little blue sapphire screamed then jumped off his lap and ran away. “Rafe, gampa says Batman is the best!!”

Robert didn’t know how he felt about being called grandpa or ‘gampa’ rather. But it was better than ‘Grumpy’ which was what Rafael called him. Robert assumed it was because the little one getting used to the language, but now he wasn't so sure. 

“Who is Batman?” Maryse questioned. “A warlock?”

“I haven't got the faintest idea,” Robert confessed. 

“Do you think he is the one from London?” Maryse wondered out loud. “He was kind of cool.”

“Possibly,” Robert nodded in agreement. “If my little man thinks he is cool, then he must be heck of a warlock.”

It was their weekly dinner at his Alec’s and Magnus’ apartment. Maryse had been able to join them too. Robert had forgotten how lively and cheerful (and noisy) a home with children can be. It was good to be reminded. 

It was good to be happy.

“Alec!” Maryse's voice said in a threatening tone he was quite familiar with. “I told you to leave the dip alone! You know how you get after eating that. Just have the chips with mayo.”

Their son made a face and picked up the bowl of mayo from the table and walked away. Robert walked up to the table to get himself a plate of nachos. 

It was all so normal. Talking about food and games and babysitting and parenting. It almost felt as if they were mundanes. Robert sometimes wondered whether his family would have been better off, happier or even safer, if they had been mundanes. 

He wondered if they should have left the Shadow World like Maryse’s brother had.

He wondered if he should have given up all those years ago. 

But then he saw Magnus wave his hand in the balcony and create a glittery butterfly in the air. He saw Max giggle adorably and squeal in glee, clapping his tiny hands together. He saw Rafael quietly observe the glittery wonder, his eyes bigger than his small face.

No, he wouldn't give up those looks on their faces for anything. 

Alec was staring at them with the most ridiculous smile on his face. 

It had taken him a long time to get used to it, but now he couldn't imagine his son without Magnus. Magnus was no longer a warlock he had been weary of. Magnus was family. 

And being Gampa and Grumpy was more important to him than being the Inquisitor of the clave. 

Robert couldn't see imagine his life without every single of them. 

He couldn't imagine his life without magic. 

“I thought your mom told you to stay away from them,” Robert told his son, who had sneaked back to the table to grab the chilli cheese dip.

“But it’s so...good,” Alec salivated. 

Sometimes Robert forgot how young his son was. Alec, and the rest of them, had been through so much at such a young age - partly due to his own sins. Underneath all that experience and trauma and responsibility, Alec was still a boy. 

Alec was _his_ boy. 

“It won’t be so good when you have a runny nose and watery eyes,” Robert scolded gently. “Stay away from the chilli, Alec!”

Alec pouted again. 

“You are the worst, Grumpy!” Alec pointed out and stomped off towards his family. Their family. 

A moment later, while he was helping himself to that amazing child dip Maryse has brought, he felt a tiny pull on his coat. 

Rafael was trying to grab his attention. From the frown on his face, he did not look happy. 

“You make daddy sad,” the child said. 

Robert’s breath hitched. 

“I...what?”

“Just now,” he pointed at the table with his tiny fingers. “You didn’t give him food. You make him sad.”

A small breath of relief escaped him. 

“Made,” he corrected the boy. “Past tense. You almost stopped my heart there, kid.”

“You made him sad,” Rafael said again, as stubborn as his father. 

“But I don't really have a choice,” Robert explained and tried to pick the kid up. 

Rafael moved away in a flash and Robert raised his hands in apology. The child was still getting used to all of them. Robert picked up at the chilli dip and showed it to Rafael. 

“This is made of Jalapeño pepper,” Robert told his grandson. “It’s very spicy.”

Rafael cocked his head. Robert pretended to cool his mouth to explain and Rafael almost chuckled. Almost. 

“Yeah, it’s not funny when you eat it,” Robert chuckled. “Your daddy can’t eat these because he is a little sensitive. It, um....It makes him sick.”

“Chilli bad?” Rafael asked. 

“Yes, bad for Daddy,” Robert nodded. “So, if you see him trying to steal these then you tell granny, okay?”

Rafael considered this for a moment and nodded. Robert carefully kept the chilli dip back on the table and knelt down next to the boy.

“I will never make your daddy sad,” he promised quietly. “Never again.”

It was hard. 

It was hard to think of how sad he had made his son when his son was one of few sources of happiness he had left. 

Rafael, who was an incredibly observant child looked at him and frowned again. Robert wondered if he was more like Magnus or Alec. Neither of them frowned this much. 

He wondered whether he was like Alec at all. 

“I make Grumpy sad?” he asked in his tiny voice, sounding scared for the first time. 

And Robert wanted nothing more than to wipe off every fear that child had with unconditional love - something he had failed to do with Alec a long time ago. 

“No, my tiny hunter,” he smiled and ruffled the boy’s hair. “You make Grumpy happy. So very happy.”

Rafael smiled then. 

It was a shy smile, as if he hadn’t excepted to be complimented or praised. As if he didn’t realise the amount of power he had over everyone in the room. 

_There he is. There is my Alec,_ Robert thought. 

Max came running to the room screaming in delight and grabbed his leg. 

“Gampa! Bapa made glitter dragon!! It was so cool!” he pointed at his father.

Magnus bowed gracefully and walked towards them from the balcony.

“Nicely done, Magnus!” Robert gave a thumbs up. “You are definitely cooler than Batman.”

“Why, thank you, Robert!” Magnus replied in surprise. “Now how might you know about Batman?”

“Oh, I met him in London once,” Robert pointed out. 

“You what?” Magnus raised an eyebrow. 

“BATMAN LIVES IN LONDON????” Max screamed. “We need portal to London! I am packing!!!”

He dashed off to his room and Robert chuckled. 

“You better fix that,” Magnus said seriously. “He better not be turning into a bat again!”

Rafe giggled at that. 

Robert didn’t know what Magnus was concerned about, but he didn’t really care. He had made Rafe smile and that’s all that mattered. 

“I heard you all are visiting Batman in London?” Maryse said in delight as she came into the room. “Please do give him my regards. It’s been a while.”

Magnus looked at the both them incredulously. “Alright, no more wine during weekly dinners!!”

He hurriedly walked into Max’s room and followed by a concerned Maryse. 

Rafael pulled on his coat again and pointed at the table. 

"ALEC!!" Robert scolded his son. "I am taking that away now!!"

"Rafael! Betrayed by my own son!!" Alec said in shock and walked away to join Magnus. 

Rafael giggled again at his father's theatrics and Robert was absurdly proud of the fact that he made that happen.

"Grumpy make Rafael happy?" he asked, grinning from ear to ear. 

"Boludo," Rafael said and ran away to join his parents. 

Robert didn't know what that meant. But he had a feeling it was something sweet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: Jalapenos were the first peppers that traveled into space on a NASA shuttle.


	10. Be Gay. Do Crime

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A lil malec fluff inspired by the prompt "we could get arrested for this" on Tumblr.

“Magnus,” Alec hissed and pulled him by the arm.

The other man simply shrugged his arm off and kept walking. Alec quickly applied the quietude rune on his leg and followed the other man.

“Magnus!” Alec hissed again.

“What?” Magnus turned around and hissed back.

“We are trespassing!” Alec said, as if he other man didn’t know.

“Nonsense!” Magnus waved him off. “We are simply sightseeing.”

“It is against the law for a downworlder to be in Idris,” Alec told him rather reluctantly.

Saying things such as this out loud often made Alec want to kick the law in the butt. Magnus, despite being the most powerful person he knew, was also the most harmless.

“Technically, it is against the law for a downworlder to be dating a Shadowhunter too,” Magnus pointed out.

“I-” Alec blushed. “Well, no one really knows about that.”

“Hmmm,” Magnus only hummed and kept walking.

When Magnus had told him that he had a surprise, Alec didn't except the warlock to portal him to Idris. They had arrived outside in the brocelind plains and have been walking for what seems like hours since then. 

The butterflies in Alec’s stomach kept fluttering around without a break. No, it was no butterfly. It was more like a hamster doing cartwheel after cartwheel.

What if someone sees them? What if they get caught? What if someone asks what they were doing here together? What if they asked how he knew Magnus?

What would he say?

“Magnus,” Alec hissed again. “We could get arrested for this!”

“First time for everything, darling,” Magnus winked and kept walking.

Alec noticed how Magnus seemed confident in his walk - not just the usual confidence that oozed from every pore, but it seemed like he really knew where he was going. It hurt a little bit to think that Magnus knew his homeland better than he did. But Alec tried not to think about that right now.

“You do realise we are breaking the convent law by entering Idris without permission?” Alec whispered as he caught up with Magnus again.

“A bad law is no law,” Magnus grinned.

“That is not even my family motto,” Alec rolled his eyes.

"What's the Lightwood motto again? Oh, yes! We mean well," Magnus giggled as he corrected himself. "That does fit the situation better."

"Magnus! I am serious! We could get into trouble!"

“Come on, Alec!” Magnus smiled like his little brother when he was up to no good. “Where is your sense of adventure?”

“Have you met me?” Alec asked incredulously. “I don’t have a sense of adventure!”

He had only been dating Magnus for a few of months. Every time he was getting to used to the fact that he was actually dating another man, he kept wondering when reality would crash in and take Magnus away from him.

Alec didn’t just have the Clave and his parents to worry about. Alec also worried about Magnus himself.

Did Magnus really care about him? Did he find Alec intriguing as much as Alec found the other man?

At times such as this, he wished he was more like his siblings. He wished he could throw caution to the wind and do what felt right in the moment. He wished he had a sense of adventure.

But that wasn’t Alec.

“Alexander,” Magnus stopped walking and turned around. “You are a shadowhunter. The first born son of one of the most famous nephilims in history. And you are dating a downworlder. A warlock who is wanted by at least 17 countries. How could anyone get more adventurous than that?”

And despite all the uncertainty, Alec laughed.

And despite all the fear, that’s what made him keep going back to Magnus.

Because Magnus always knew how to make him laugh - something Alec knew he didn’t do often as he should. 

“17 countries?” Alec asked, grinning.

“At least,” Magnus grinned back.

They kept walking again, holding hands now. It was dark and no one in Idris really went for walks after sun down.

Well, at least he hoped so. He didn’t know much about night life in Alicante.

“Ta-da!” Magnus announced as they finally came to a halt. “We are here!”

“What is this place?”

It was clearly a manor, an ancient one like most manors in Idris. But it looked more ancient than others. It wasn’t just the architecture that made it seem ancient, it also the fact that the manor had clearly been abandoned for quite some time.

“Where are we?” Alec asked again.

And for the first time that evening, Magnus’ face softened.

“It’s the Lightwood manor,” he said softly. “This is your ancestral home.”

“Oh,” Alec said.

His home. His birthright. This is where his parents used to live before they were exiled. This is where Alec was born. But he didn’t recognise it at all. It was just another building for him. The manor did not feel like home, not more than the institute in New York. Nothing had ever felt like home to him. Not until….

“Maybe this was a stupid idea,” Magnus said hastily. “We should just portal back.”

Alec grabbed him by the arm again. “We are here now.”

“I just…” Magnus sighed and looked away. “I just wanted you to see it.”

Alec looked at the manor again. It looked like it had so much potential. It looked like a place where people could be so happy. But it looked so utterly lonely too. It reminded him too much of himself.

“I see it,” Alec whispered. “Thank you.”

“Alexander,” Magnus said softly, and Alec hoped he would never get used to the way his name sounded in Magnus’ lips. “I know this is all new to you. I know…I know you are scared and questioning all of this.”

“I am not-” Alec wanted to argue but didn’t.

It seemed wrong to lie in Alicante. It seemed wrong to lie in front of his home. It seemed wrong to lie to Magnus at all.

“This place…This place belongs to you and every Lightwood before you,” Magnus said as he took Alec’s hand gently in his. “If you ever feel alone or scared, I want you to think of this place. I want you to remember that there were many Lightwoods before you who felt just as scared and lonely as you do.”

Alec had always wondered about that. He had always wanted to look at the history books to find Lightwoods like him. But he didn’t think the Clave would have considered them important enough to record their history.

Besides, he had been too afraid to look it up anyway.

“Did you know them?” Alec asked, his voice catching in his throat.

“I did,” Magnus nodded.

“And?”

Magnus smiled and kissed him on the lips. Just a light brush, but powerful enough to make Alec hold onto him tighter.

“I think they would be very proud of you,” Magnus whispered. “Every time you decide to be a little bit more like yourself, you make them so proud.”

“You really think so?” Alec smiled shyly.

“Well, Anna would be flabbergasted if you she saw you in this sweater,” Magnus teased. “But proud nonetheless.”

And in that moment, just in that moment, Alec didn’t care who saw them or what they might think or what they might ask. He leaned forward and kissed Magnus with everything he had.

“Thank you,” he whispered against the warlock’s lips. “You didn’t have to.”

Magnus didn’t have to do a lot of things. But he did them anyway just because he could. That's what made him different than anyone else Alec had ever met. 

“It was my pleasure,” Magnus said. “One day this will be yours.”

_Ours_, Alec wanted to say. But it seemed too soon. Too impossible. Too good.

“Then we should probably take a better look, huh?” Alec asked and drew an unlock rune on the front door.

“Alexander,” Magnus’ eyes widened. “I don’t think we can go in.”

“Come on, Magnus!” Alec grinned. “Where is your sense of adventure?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact - Break-ins are the number one property crime concern across America. 
> 
> PS - They totally did it in the manor asdgjhdfhgdkhg.


	11. A Blanket Bebe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just cute malec being cute.

“You really need to stop,” Alec whispered.

“I will not,” Magnus whispered back.

“Why are you whispering?” Alec asked. “Is someone there?”

“No,” Magnus said. “I am whispering cause you are whispering.”

“What?” Alec laughed again.

“I’m just going with your vibe,” Magnus explained. “I need to vibe with the aesthetic.”

“Stop making me laugh,” Alec whispered and covered his face with a hand.

“Excuse you, I was explaining a very serious immigration issue,” Magnus said from the other end. “It’s not my fault you find my adventures in Peru funny."

“Magnus, stop!” Alec giggled again. “People might hear me.”

“Is it really so bad to hear some late night laughter from a fellow nephilim?” Magnus asked.

“Well, they might find it weird if I am laughing all by myself,” Alec replied.

“Well, there could be plenty of reasons why you could be laughing all by yourself,” Magnus wondered out loud. “Maybe you are watching a Friends episode. Or maybe you are picturing Jace getting attacked by an army of ducks.”

“Magnus, I am serious. Stop it!” Alec stifled another giggle. “Also, what is Friends?”

“What is Friends?” Magnus repeated. “Well, now I know what to do for our next date.”

“I am looking forward to it,” Alec said shyly.

He didn’t know what Friends was. But he knew two things. He knew it was funny.

And he knew when Magnus laughed, the gold in his eyes flickered like stars. So, even though he didn't enjoy mundane television, he was actually looking forward to it.

“If you are really worried about someone overhearing you, then we can talk later,” Magnus said gently.

“No no,” Alec replied quickly. “We can talk.”

“Applied the quietude rune on the door again, huh?” Magnus asked.

“Yep,” Alec grinned. “And I am also hiding under my blanket.”

If anyone had told him that one day he would be in his bedroom, hiding under the blanket and secretly talking to a handsome warlock over the phone, Alec would have died of laughter.

But here he was right now, in his bedroom, hiding under the blanket and secretly talking to a handsome warlock over the phone.

He felt like he was going to die of happiness.

“Why are you so cute?” Magnus asked.

“I applied a Cute-titude rune,” Alec giggled.

He heard Magnus laugh so hard that it made him insanely proud. It felt like something he wanted to do for the rest of his life.

“God, I l….” Magnus said and breathed heavily from the other end.

“What?” Alec asked.

“Nothing,” Magnus said, and Alec could feel his smile all the way from Brooklyn. “I just…I just really like talking to you.”

Alec blinked. “You do?”

“Why do you sound so surprised?” Magnus chuckled softly. “It’s not like your parents are paying me to talk to you.”

“I don’t think they can afford you,” Alec chuckled back. “But you actually enjoying talking to me?”

“Of course I do,” Magnus said. “Why would you think otherwise?”

“I just…” Alec bit his lip and turned around in his bed. “I don’t have any interesting stories like you do. I don’t always know the right thing to say. I don't talk a lot. And I am…I am a little chaotic.”

“Only a little?” Magnus asked and Alec rolled his eyes.

“I just don’t see why you would enjoy talking to me,” Alec shrugged, because he really didn’t.

“Well,” Magnus said after a moment. “It’s mostly because you are very handsome. So, that makes everything easier.”

“Haha,” Alec said, even though he was blushing.

“Alexander, conversations aren’t just about talking. It’s about listening too. And you are one of the best listeners I’ve met. You always listen to my stories so intently. You never interrupt or ridicule any of them. You ask questions and are so curious to learn about things you don’t know. That’s what makes talking to you so interesting. Because you listen, even if you don’t talk.”

“Oh,” Alec said.

“And for the record, I do like your stories,” Magnus said. “I like stories about Jace being such a reckless fool that he almost reminds me of a friend I had long time ago. I like stories about how you take care of your brother and sister. I like all the stories you share with me. Even the one about the lost sweater.”

“I still miss it,” Alec sighed. “I had it for seven years.”

“I think it was for the best, darling,” Magnus chuckled.

“Hmmm,” Alec hummed.

There was a moment of silence then, like it usually happened during their late night phone calls. There was a lull in the conversation. It should be awkward. It should be weird. Alec should be wracking his brain to say something. But nothing about this silence felt weird or awkward or wrong. It felt comfortable. It felt right.

“Okay but seriously,” Magnus said after a while. “Are you actually hiding underneath your blanket?”

“I am,” Alec smiled. “I wish you were here.”

He hard Magnus dramatically sigh on the other end. “You can’t say things like that at 01am, Alexander.”

Alec looked at his phone and swore. “Shit. It is 1 in the morning. We should probably go to sleep. I have patrol in the morning.”

“Will you text me when you get home?”

It wasn’t the first time Magnus had asked him to send a text when Alec got back to the institute after a patrol. At first, it had seemed weird. Alec wasn’t used to people asking him to give reassurance that he was okay. Shadowhunters didn’t really mind getting injured - or even dying during duty for that matter. So, they didn’t say things like “text me when you get home” to each other.

Alec wondered what else they had taken for granted.

He loved his family with all his heart. He knew what it felt like to love someone with everything you had. But he hadn’t known, not really, what it feels to be loved - completely and unreservedly.

Not until Magnus.

“Magnus, I…” Alec started but then face palmed.

Not today.

“What is it?” Magnus asked. “Did one of your overeager siblings catch you? Say the word, we could run away to Peru!”

Alec wished they could run away to Peru. But they couldn’t. And it wasn’t just because Magnus was banned from the country. The Clave would have his head. And his parents would probably have worse. But a part of him wasn’t afraid to break the law.

It was mostly because being with Magnus didn’t feel like breaking the law. It didn’t feel like he was doing something wrong.

It felt good. It felt real. It felt as sacred and important as fighting demons and keeping the world safe. 

Alec wanted to feel this way for the rest of his life.

“It’s not that,” Alec replied. “It’s just…You just…You make me.…”

“I make you what?” Magnus asked from the end, sounding a little worried. “Do I make you feel afraid? Do I make you feel overwhelmed? Do I make you feel confused?”

Magnus suddenly sounded unsure. Concerned. afraid. He was always so careful with Alec. He was constantly worried that it would all be too much for him. Alec wanted to put an end to that immediately.

“You make me want things I can’t have,” Alec replied.

There was a moment of silence. The kind Alec had grown to love and associate only with Magnus.

“What do you want?”

Alec bit his lip and let out a deep breath.

“You.”

Another moment of silence.

“You have me, Alexander,” Magnus whispered. “I am not going anywhere.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: The first phone call was between Alexander Graham Bell and his assistant, Thomas Watson


	12. Cats - Not the Movie. This is Better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy birthday, Magnus ;)

“Don’t!” Magnus warned.

He felt a lick on his foot and Magnus suppressed a giggle. He wasn’t going to encourage this behaviour.

“I told you I am working!” Magnus whined. “Give me five, please. Just one more email. Ragnor is waiting.”

He focused on the screen in front of him and felt the quick little lick on his neck.

“You really must stop being so needy,” Magnus chastised, a little impatient. “All this attention seeking is starting to get a little concerning.”

Suddenly all the licking and teasing stopped.

Magnus turned around. Nothing.

He looked under his chair. Nope.

“Chairman?” He called out. “Chairman Meow?”

The quietness that followed made Magnus shiver. He bolted up from his chair and ran towards the balcony, which he usually kept open in the morning to let the breeze in.

“Babe!” He called out from the balcony. “My little ball of snow!! I am sorry I shouted at you.”

Chairman, who usually enjoyed playing hide seek, did not meow back in response. Magnus was really starting to get worried.

“Come back to me, my precious,” Magnus whined. “I’ll let you lick me all you want.”

Someone coughed. Very loudly.

“Excuse me?”

Magnus turned around sharply to find an utterly gorgeous human specimen standing merely a couple of feet away from him on the other side of the balcony. The man blinked at him, and his eyes traveled further down. Magnus felt a blush rising in his neck and felt ticklish all over.

Tickles!

“My cat,” Magnus spluttered. “He is missing.”

Mr. Tall, Dark and Handsome bent down (and what a view by the way) and picked up something small in this hand, like a ball of cotton.

“Baby!” Magnus all but screamed. “Come here!”

“He climbed over the fence,” the man pointed out. “Brave little fella.”

“I don’t know how to thank you,” Magnus gushed, maybe a little too much. “You saved him!”

“I didn’t do much,” the man blushed a little and Magnus' heart leaped over the balcony. “I was unpacking my things and I heard him.”

“Oh,” Magnus said. “You are the new guy who is moving into 21C!. Hell of a first impression by the way.”

The man blushed again and Magnus decided he should do everything in his power to make him do it more often.

Chairman, who apparently left out of the conversation, growled loudly. But of course, it only came out as the most adorable meow.

“Come to papa, cotton ball,” Magnus held out his hand for the white tabby and carefully took Chairman from his new neighbour.

“Magnus,” he introduced himself.

“His name is Magnus?” The other man chuckled. “Cute.”

“Actually, that’s my name,” Magnus pointed out. “Is it still cute?”

The man blushed again. Yay!

“What’s his name?” The man asked. “Don’t tell me it’s actually cotton ball.”

Magnus bit his lip.

Raphael had once told him that Chairman’s name was too dorky. Magnus did not want to come across as a dork. The other man had made an excellent first impression. Magnus was not going tocome across as a neighbour who is horrible at choosing pet names. Not today!

“His name is Raphael,” Magnus said casually as possible. “I take pet names very seriously, you see.”

Chairman squinted at him then and gave him a traitorous look.

All was fair in love and war - and meet cutes. Chairman would understand one day.

“Nice to meet you, Magnus,” the man smiled and Magnus wanted to break into a Disney song. “And hello, Raphael! I’m Alec!”

There was another meow then. But not the soft sound Magnus was familiar with, but rather a loud and exasperated one.

The neighbour bent down again (and once more Magnus couldn’t help but sigh inwardly at that perfect view) and picked up an a slightly bigger orange tabby.

“Awww,” Magnus cooed. “Who is this?”

“Uh,” the man blinked. “This is…Jace.”

What a pretentious name, Magnus thought but decided not to pass any judgement at this stage of their relationship.

And yes, there was going to be a relationship here, goddamnit!

“Welcome to Brooklyn, Jace!” Magnus waved at the cat. “And you too, Alexander.”

Another blush.

This was going so well.

“Are you from New York?” Magnus asked, because he didn’t want to go back inside just yet. Fuck that email. Ragnor can wait. “You do sound like you are.”

“I am,” Alec replied. “I moved from Manhattan!”

“Well, I must say you have gotten yourself an excellent place,” Magnus grinned. “I heard the neighbours are nice and friendly. And apparently easy on the eyes too.”

More blushing. Magnus was positively in love.

“Yay!” Alec threw up the cat in mock celebration and the little creature meowed in annoyance. “Hush, you. Magnus seems nice. He won’t be like Sebastian.”

“Is Sebastian your….” Magnus pretended to be aloof although he was desperate for more information.

“My ex-neighbour,” Alec grimaced. “Real piece of work. He lied to me about his family and his job and his…You know what? It doesn’t matter. He was just a pathetic liar. I am glad the new neighbours are nice and friendly…and easy on the eyes.”

Alec was genuinely smiling at him and Magnus felt horrified. This poor man had been lied to by his old neighbour and Magnus had started their relationship (yes, it is happening okay!!) off with a lie.

“I’m so sorry,” Magnus said.

“Oh, that’s okay,” Alec waved him off. “I don’t talk to him anymore and I-”

“No, it’s not about that, although he sucks big time and I am sorry about that too,” Magnus said quickly. “I’m actually sorry because I kinda lied to you.”

Alec stiffened. “You did?”

“My cat’s name is not Raphael,” Magnus pointed at the cat. “Raphael is actually my friend. A super judgemental friend, by the way.”

“Why did you lie?” Alec asked, as his body relaxed a little. 

“Because Raphael told me my cat’s name is ridiculous and I didn’t want you to judge me or think I am some weirdo and then our relationship….as neighbours will be ruined.”

Alec took all of that in for a moment and then smiled.

“What’s the little one’s real name?”

“Chairman Meow,” Magnus said quietly.

Alec, who he thought would roll his eyes, grinned brilliantly.

“My cat’s name is not Jace,” Alec lifted the orange tabby. “Jace is actually my brother. A super pretentious brother, by the way.”

Magnus smiled back. “What’s this one's real name then?”

“Chairman Meow,” Alec lifted his cat a little higher. “I’d like you to meet Captain Cutebutt.”

“Oh my god, I love it!” Magnus almost yelled. 

“I’m glad,” Alec looked actually relieved. “I thought you didn’t like dorky shit - like my brother.”

“I love dorky shit!” Magnus actually did yell this time.

Alec laughed at that, with his entire face. Magnus reminded himself to google how many cats were too many cats to adopt as a couple.

“Now that everyone has properly met every one,” Magnus grinned and pointed at his apartment. “Why don’t you get that cute butt in here so we can have a cup of coffee?”

Alec blushed furiously at that. “Are you talking about me or my cat?”

“Yes,” Magnus winked and walked back in with Chairman.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: Isaac Newton invented the cat door.


End file.
